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“The most difficult job in the world is not being president. It’s being a parent.”

Bill Clinton is a Leo. Born three months after his real father died in 1946, Bill was raised by an abusive alcoholic stepfather. Like so many Leos, Bill spent much of his life searching for approval from father figures. His was mentally and emotionally absent during Bill’s formative years. Bill’s quest is a hero’s journey to conquer his fears of failure, abandonment, and disapproval and become a devoted parent who loves unconditionally and without expectation. Bill’s Sun, Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto are in Leo. Like many Apollonian types, Bill’s hands sport strong ring fingers. Bill adores music, women, and politics. Even though Bill has a bachelor like attitude, he enjoys being married. Bill has very high expectations of Hillary, in spite of his own personal shortcomings.

People judge Bill for his character, but Bill is his character. Apollo and Zeus are a powerful blend of charismatic forces in the real world. Zeus was infamous for his seductions and philandering in ancient Greece. Apollo was irresistible. It was impossible to say no to him. It’s hard to find healthy creative outlets for so much libido. The world is strewn with Leosterone. Powerful men and women throughout history were and still are philanderers with sexual addictions. Bill might have graciously and gracefully fulfilled his job as a national role model had he not tempted fate and lost his way. Hubris along with a powerful solar eclipse like the one coming up on August 21, 2017 was his Waterloo!

Bill loved being boss. His greatest challenge was not being too slick to believe that he wouldn’t always come out of the shithouse smelling like a rose. Zeus could have any female mortal he wanted. Unfortunately, his conquests and their offspring were cursed by Hera, who punished Zeus for his philandering. Defiance of fundamentalist values undermined Bill’s power. You can bet Hillary booted Bill’s behind when he was caught shtooping his intern. I’m glad he escaped impeachment. Resisting temptation is challenging when you’re a celebrity, a mortal, and a President.

“MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”

Four US Presidents were born under the sign of Cancer. They were all were deeply wounded and flawed, the vilest of all being (in my opinion) George W Bush. His Leo hands synchronize with his Leo ascendant to reveal the worst qualities of Cancer and Leo in his intentions and actions. George has Mercury and Pluto in Leo conjunct his ascendant and Venus in Leo in his first house. Hopefully, Prescott’s dark karma and the Bush dynasty have finally ended.

When our daughter was in fifth grade, fifteen years ago, George W Bush was President. Cass was so concerned about what was going on in the world that she wrote a letter to the editor of a local East Village newspaper (who published it). She also sent a copy to the President.

Dear Editor,

I’m a 5th grader at the earth school in the east village of Manhattan. A lot has been happening in the world and this is a paragraph to explain my point of view. I wrote it at home this afternoon and it is unedited and done completely by myself. I was wondering if you would be interested in publishing it in your newspaper. Sincerely,

We are deeply worrying about Saddam’s toxic and chemical weapons but what we are not realizing is that we are using just if not more as dangerous toxicants in our everyday life. Eventually at the rate we are going and the life style we are living we will kill ourselves off. The only difference with Saddam’s weapons is it will happen faster. Really all it takes to turn the world evil is one bad mind. We can easily find excuses to do certain uncalled for horrible things. What we need to do is think positive and constructive for our own benefit. We have to also be cautious about who we elect for president because that one bad mind could be his and make all the difference. We are being so concerned with Saddam Hussein, but you should think about it like Saddam Hussein is one ant in a whole anthill. The only reason ants survive is because they work as a team to carry food and build that huge hill. Even without war we are still heading towards a bad future. If we continue to pollute our earth we are going to have nothing left. If we get good ideas and stop polluting right now we will still have a chance to save our earth and the people on it.

At the end of her letter, Cass asked George not to send her a signed picture of his head. I altered what she got back as my contribution to exposing the true nature of a beast that has no clue how beastly he is. Truly no child should be left behind. We must all be more loving, helpful, and attentive to all children at all times.

Barack Obama is a Leo. Born August 4, 1961, Barack’s Sun, Mercury, Uranus, and North Node are in Leo. With a warm heart and a smile, Barack practiced healthier Leo merits than his predecessors while setting new precedents for future Leo ruled presidents. Despite the constant barrage of partisan prejudicial politics, Barack served with nobility, integrity, and dignity. His intuitive hands reveal an Arian personality. His narrow less meaty hands reveal a warrior of ideas and ideals. Barack is independent, freedom loving, energetic, enthusiastic, takes calculated risks when inspired, and can accomplish anything with enough inspiration. Passion is contagious and optimism eternal. Barack does his best at what he chooses and doesn’t take rejection personally. As a naturally rebellious type, he detests bullies and bureaucrats. Barack’s Holy Grail was taking responsibility for a damaged bureaucracy aimlessly racing towards bad shit happening.

Barack is a natural hero and great crusader for good causes. He campaigns tirelessly until he realizes his aspirations. Barack’s head and life lines are separate at their beginnings where the thumb meets the hand. Combined with the little crook in the top phalange of his strong middle finger, he needs plenty of personal space to sort out his thoughts and feelings. Because of Barack’s highly developed sense of responsibility and obligation, he always chooses objectivity and practicality over freedom. Barack’s pinky’s smallest phalanx is the bottom. Barack is motivated by freedom, family, and good causes, not money.

Barack is a naturally healthy type. The clear and unfettered quality of his basic lines reveals a healthy clarity in his thinking and feelings. Barack’s heart line swings up from the percussion of his hand to the space between his index and middle fingers. He’s passionate and practical about his feelings. Barack’s headline gracefully arcs downward toward the heel of his hand, revealing balance between creativity and objectivity. He can blend creative imagination with clarity of vision. Barack’s fate line travels all the way from the bottom of his palm to the base of his middle finger. He has worked hard and remained focused on his personal goals since he was a small child. The lines in the ball of Barack’s thumb parallel his lifeline revealing a true friend to those who have earned his trust over time. Despite rampant unpopularity with Republicans, Barack served our country to the best of his ability with dignity, integrity, and nobility.

Donald Trump is a Gemini with Leo rising. His small Leo hands with their rectangular palms, short fingers, and head and life lines closely entwined at their beginnings confirm his Leo nature. Donald has embraced the worst traits of Leo and will forever be notorious as the worst President in history.

A lot has been said about Donald’s tiny hands. Small handed people are big picture people. They hate detail and love grand ideas. Despite his callous behavior, Donald secretly craves your approval, wants you to love him, and cares a lot about what you think of him, although he doesn’t care about you. Look at how Donald’s attitude and behavior pathologically embodies shameless grandiosity along with other negative attributes of Leo’s character. He’s narcissistic, self-centered, self-indulgent, superficial, ostentatious, egotistical, ruthless, greedy, bossy, seductive, and lousy role model.

Why do we prostrate ourselves before an opaque self-appointed emperor on a polished brass pedestal? How many gilded towers, glitzy gambling casinos, graven images, beauty queens, shark tanks, and celebrity idols do we need? It is mind boggling to see how a person with so much potential to create a positive difference for all of humanity instead chooses a path of spiritual bankruptcy for all.

Donald’s Mercury square Neptune and corresponding curved pinkie fingers confirm his pathological dishonesty. Mercury’s dark side is a trickster, magician, con-artist, and pick-pocket. The court jester was supposed to remind the king to keep his ego in check. Jiminy Cricket was Pinocchio’s conscience. Donald’s north node in Gemini is Mercurial. The North node in Gemini is a karmic invitation to join society in order to share higher consciousness and lend a helping hand by exercising higher mind. It’s plain to see how Bill Clinton (Leo) and George Bush (Leo rising) blew their Gemini north node potentials. Donald Trump has done more than his share of damage. Perhaps he is fulfilling his karmic obligation by clearly exposing the dark underbelly of politics, democracy, and capitalism. We’ll certainly never take our health and the health of our world for granted.

Donald’s day of reckoning is coming. During 2016, Uranus in Aries squared Donald’s Saturn Venus conjunction in Cancer. It continues to be square in 2017. At the same time, transiting Saturn opposes Donald’s Sun and conjuncts his Moon. If you want to speed up his meltdown, millions of people can tweet: “YOU’RE FIRED” on these dates in 2017 – August 7, 12, 20, and 30, October 11, November 8 and 17. Anytime is good, but these dates will be most effective. It’s time for Donald to get a hearty spanking from Saturn. Donald’s hubris will take him down when the critical mass of horrors he has perpetrated will no longer be acceptable to the masses… the sooner the better.

Author’s note: many people have curved pinky fingers. They are not pathological liars. A majority of people with curved pinkies are just trying to avoid confrontation. They’re peace makers because they learned as children to ‘be nice’ and ‘not make waves’. Many too often end up choosing safe over satisfying in their lives.

Leo is a solar archetype. Helios (Greek), Apollo (Roman), Ra (Egyptian), and Narashima (Indian) are Leo gods. Hercules (Greek), Samson (Judaic), and Parcifal (English) are Leo heroes. Goldilocks and Lion King are Leo fairy-tales. Everyone has Leo in their story. Who are your heroes? Which hero are you? What’s your holy grail?

You don’t need a Leo sun, moon, ascendant, planets, aspects, or houses to be Leo. Intuitive types have long rectangular palms and short fingers. Leo hand shape and proportions are identical to Sagittarius and Aries. These highly spirited, enthusiastic individuals dislike details and need to grasp the whole picture. They require a lot of freedom to express themselves naturally. They take pride in their honesty, integrity, and dignity. They also pride themselves on being independent objective thinkers who must set inspiring goals through which they can channel their abundant energy and passion. Leo loves being center of attention. Creative, dramatic, generous, enthusiastic, and fiercely loyal, Leo embraces you with ‘pride’ and then expects you to worship, admire, and appreciate him. Many fans look forward to his or her humor and stories.

Leo is a fixed type. Leo hands are stiffer, denser, and firmer than Sagittarius hands. Sag tends to be lazier and more self-indulgent, which softens hands. Leo’s skin is less elastic than Aries skin. Aries acts and then bounces back. Leo reacts and then procrastinates. Leo’s life and head lines often intertwine where a rosy bump meets strong stiff thumbs on a firm pink hand. Head and life lines that are closely braided at their beginnings care a lot about what others think, want to be liked, need to feel appreciated, and should never ever allow themselves to be taken for granted. That’s the beginning of the end.

No matter what your sun sign, people with square fingertips and stiff knotty joints are more methodical and cautious than those without them. They have more inertia and tend more to procrastinate at beginnings and at endings. They prefer to arrange their material objects and ideologies in designated places. Intuitive types are challenged to keep them there, especially when the middle phalanx of their pinky finger is shortest.

Many Leos have long and strong ring fingers. Shapes of tips, proportions of phalanges, knots, nails, lengths of fingers, directions of lines, and breaks, along with other qualities of topographical markings reveal what a person chooses to create with their free will. A seasoned palmist can readily see a person’s people skills, career potentials, behavior, and health issues. Consistency and flexibility of hands and elasticity of skin reveals the three modalities. Whorl fingerprints (concentric circles and spirals) add originality, spontaneity, eccentricity, and unconventionality. It’s important to note that even though palmistry is a science, human nature cannot be defined through exact details, but subtleties of details affected by free will, choice, and context. Palmistry is my favorite of many wonderful ways to observe and understand human character.

Ring fingers reveal artistic and aesthetic abilities, drama, versatility, salesmanship, showiness, gambling proclivities, satisfaction, and reputation. No matter your archetype, strong ring fingers add adaptability, creativity, and expressiveness. Cultivated Leos love beautiful things and savor a developed sense of taste and style. Long ring fingered folk are likable and they work at it. A ring finger is judged for length against the middle finger. When the tip is shorter than the middle of the first phalanx of the middle finger, it’s considered short. When longer, it’s considered long. Hands of actors, artists, architects, designers, craftsmen, photographers, curators, businessmen, teachers, salesmen, politicians, and diplomats have long ring fingers. I’ve seen similar ring fingers on hands of gamblers. Their problem is they win, but don’t know when to stop.

Leos love being boss. Last time I checked, there were more Fortune 500 and NASDAQ (over 10%) LEO CEO’s than any other sign. Our most recent four Presidents are all dominated by Leo. Stay tuned for a post generalizing the best and worst of Leo ruled Presidents.

Leo’s strength and courage shines like the sun. He’s naturally charming, talented, and very versatile. Leo liabilities are self- consciousness, emotional insecurity, and vanity, clinging to obsolete behavioral patterns, cultivating challenging circumstances, and nursing fruitless relationships. Don’t ever take Leo for granted. He takes criticism personally, even when it isn’t. Leo must choose an inspiring quest or risk mediocrity. Leos become easily bored when life gets mundane and routine. As big picture types, too much detail makes them nuts. If you can’t help them, stay out of their way.

Leo must learn to cultivate clear vision and enduring patience. That’s not easy since he’s naturally impatient and impulsive. Frequently accused of ‘being opinionated’, his point of view is so very important. Communicating clearly and effectively is a must. Extroverts in general flourish best when they’re behaving responsibly, honestly, patiently, and naturally in their relationships. Leo’s hardest challenge is to establish clear boundaries and limitations.

Leo’s physical sense is sight. The esoteric equivalent is enlightenment. Leo must burn brightly without judgement or expectation, embrace truth, learn to see the handwriting on walls, cut their losses, and let go of false pride. Too many multi-talented Leos spread themselves too thin and become the proverbial jacks of all trades, masters of none. Potential health problems are eyesight, heart, and poor circulation.

My recent jury duty experience will be of particular interest to other esoteric readers. I’m registered to vote in New York City, so every few years (it’s five now); I’ve been called to serve. That entails typically spending three days sitting around waiting for attorneys to call potential jurors to be interviewed for various cases. Jurors are paid $40 per day and are expected to remain in the building from 9am to 5pm with an hour or so break for lunch. Depending on the size of the pool, jurors can be called and rejected several times over those three days.

In our Justice System, it’s every citizen’s responsibility to serve on a jury when called on. A jury consists of twelve individuals who are selected from a pool of potential jurors by a judge, defense attorney, and prosecuting attorney. There are two types of court cases, criminal and civil. Over many years, I’ve only been called for civil cases and have always been rejected because I’ve been both a plaintiff and defendant in civil law suits. If there’s any chance of bias, there’s little chance of being selected.

This time, I was called to sit in a courtroom with other potential jurors to listen to the judge and attorneys present a criminal case. The judge explained the nature of the case and asked us if we watched TV shows like CSI and Criminal Minds. Most of the jurors raised their hands. He explained that those shows are for entertainment purposes only and real forensic evidence is rarely perfect. You really can’t spot a license plate from a satellite, surveillance video is often not clear, and DNA is frequently unreliable. I’m not a big fan of TV, but most of those police dramas are way too predictable for my tastes.

After that, fourteen individuals were arbitrarily called by a court officer who picks pieces of paper with juror’s names from a wire basket that is rotated to mix them up. The jurors proceed to the juror’s box to be interrogated by the attorneys. Many potential jurors are prejudiced or prefer not to serve on a jury because some cases can drag out for weeks. It’s obvious when someone is trying to get out of serving and the judge has no problem letting them know that it’s their duty to serve. I was not chosen for the first round.

Between rounds, everyone files out of the courtroom while the judge and lawyers deliberate and choose which jurors support their arguments. Then everyone is called back and the jurors who have been chosen are allowed to leave. The remainder of the fourteen goes back into another pool to be selected for another case. I was chosen for the second round and was asked to be seated in the jury box. As a full time palmist, astrologer, and tarot reader for forty years, this was my moment of truth when I had to make a decision as to how I wanted to proceed.

I’d always been in business for myself. My only other work experience was being employed two days a week for two years in the rehab department of a forensic psychiatric hospital. I worked with over 150 murderers and violent criminals. My job was designing vocational programs, although I became the art therapist for six months when the regular therapist was caught by the rehab director in the art supply closet dispensing her own form of therapy to one of the patients. She was instantly fired. No one else was qualified for the job. I got to work directly with patients, which was crucial, as my real and secret purpose for being there was to read their hands, study their astrology, and to get to know them. If this had been a murder case, I’d be disqualified, but it wasn’t.

Most esoteric readers learn to trust their instincts and feelings. I had a negative feeling about this particular defendant. I didn’t know if she was guilty on all counts, but she had a guilty energy about her. The judge asked us to introduce ourselves and to briefly describe what we do, our marital status, and whether we had any experience that might prejudice us. When it was my turn, I said, “I’m a practicing professional psychic”. You can see where this is going.

The prosecutor was the first to interview me. He inquired, “Do you think you can remain fair and impartial in hearing this case? “I can try” I replied. “I have a lot of friends and family who are corporate and tort lawyers” I volunteered. He moved on to the next juror.

When the defense attorney stood up, it was plain to see he didn’t want me. He asked, “What would you think if the defendant doesn’t testify?” “The defendant is testifying all the time with her eyes and body language” I replied. He countered, “Tell me. You don’t really need the evidence presented to know what’s going to happen. Do you?” “No, I don’t” I told him. I could hear a quiet gasp from the other jurors. I looked over at the defendant (who had remained deadpan throughout the procedure). A sudden look of terror appeared in her eyes. That’s when I was sure I was not going to be selected.

When we left the courtroom for deliberation, I could feel other jurors looking at me and trying to catch my attention. Some smiled as I caught their glance. One came up and enthusiastically shook my hand to tell me that I had given the most interesting response he had ever heard in his many years of jury duty. I asked to see his hands and then we spent a few minutes talking about his issues and challenges. We exchanged email addresses and have stayed in touch. The court dismissed me at the end of the day. I’ll be seventy-five next time they call me for jury duty.

You don’t need a Cancer sun, moon, planets, or planetary placements to be Cancerian. All feeling types have long narrow palms and long fingers ~ often held closely. Healthy Cancer hands are firm and consistent with pink elastic skin. Finger joints are less stiff than Scorpio and less flexible than Pisces. Cancer head and life lines tend to separate at their beginnings on pure types. If head and life lines are closely connected at their beginnings, the individual has (mother) issues around losing control, fear of criticism, and need for approval. Anyone with that combo should never allow themselves to be taken for granted. Cancer is sensitive. More lines add more sensitivity. Long gently sloping head lines are compatible with developed heels of hands and personify a healthy balance between intuition, creativity, and practicality. Heart lines that gracefully curve toward the index finger embody a romantic, idealistic, and sometimes unrealistic vision of other people. I’ve observed lots of round or conical fingertips with long broad nails and loop fingerprints on Cancer types. Emotionally stable Cancers offer firm sincere handshakes.

Note: I’m generalizing details from my own personal experience.

Cancers are intuitive, empathetic, complex, and well aware of the needs of others. They can be hard to understand because they hide their most vulnerable selves beneath a facade of nurturing actions. Try to pry into their private lives and they’ll retreat into their shells. Cautious and vulnerable, Cancer needs to be frank and direct, rather than tactful and diplomatic. The only thing that makes sense is to choose satisfying over safe. Although they often try to avoid emotional confrontation, they need to cultivate intimacy wherever and whenever they can. Their feelings may swing from loving and devoted to secretive, reclusive, obsessive, and fearful of the future. When Cancers are feeling controlled or confined, they may become dark and moody. They must feel protected and secure before they can fully trust. Once trust is earned, loyalties run deep. Healthy family connections and close friendships nourish them. The more structure, organization and detail in their lives, the more stable and secure their feelings.

Healthy Cancerians are loving, compassionate, and devoted beings. They’re most compatible with other feeling types. They feel safe with responsible, reliable, and dependable practical types. They’re sorely challenged by thinking and intuitive types. They’re nervous they’ll be left holding the psychic garbage bag (and they often are) and forced to deal with the consequences when idealism, optimism, enthusiasm, and logic wane (and they do). Cancers are acutely consciousness of everyone’s emotional needs. When feeling insecure, they can become internally secretive while becoming externally ambitious. Cancers work hardest when income matches output. Motivated by good food, emotional security, and fertile soil, their mission is to nourish their family, home, and creative imaginations.

Demeter, Greek earth goddess of grain and the harvest, is a combination of Virgo and a powerful overprotective Cancerian mother. When Pluto abducted Persephone, Demeter asked her siblings for help, but ended up exercising her power over both gods and man by creating winter (death). All gods need to be worshiped, so they negotiated a deal.

“You’ve got to play to lose”

The old guy above is the young guy with me in this picture captured forty three years ago in a photo booth at an Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. Lloyd and I met while working part time at a wood, metal, and plastics model making machine shop where we fabricated preschool children’s learning devices for the University of Pittsburgh. We made toys for ourselves on our own time. Soon to graduate from different colleges, I was to become an industrial designer and Lloyd would continue to be an artist. We were a couple of Peter Pans on our way to Neverland.

Lloyd didn’t get much nurturing as a child. He developed his quick wit and sense of humor while trying to avoid extreme physical abuse. When his mother was happy, Lloyd was safe. When she was unhappy, she’d incite Lloyd’s rage filled father to beat him. Lloyd’s mother committed suicide, his father was committed to a mental institution, and his beautiful sister, who I’d met in Florida with her two young children, great husband, and apparently idyllic life, suddenly and unexpectedly blew her head off with a shotgun.
Lloyd’s slender rectangular palms and long fingers match his Cancer sun, which is conjunct my Mercury. His Gemini ascendant harmonizes with my Gemini sun. Lloyd’s head and life lines are tightly intertwined at their beginnings and reveal his desire to feel appreciated. He was a sensitive child who needed love and support, but didn’t get any.

Lloyd tried hard to fix his broken parents, but they were too sick to support him. Instead, they judged, criticized, and abused him. Lloyd survived without anyone’s approval, though he thrives on appreciation. He’ll give his friends the shirt off his back, but they had better never take him for granted. Lloyd has literally given me the shirt off his back in my moment of need. I was on my way to an important meeting and got a nasty stain on my shirt. Before I could blink, Lloyd took off his shirt and traded with me.

Cancers are collectors. Some stockpile food in case of shortage or emergency. Lloyd collects art books, literature (he’s the most well-read person I know), religious art, art supplies, tools, and clothing. When wealthy people die, their families donate clothing to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Lloyd has a keen eye for the finest designer clothing as he picks through the merchandise. He’s a master bargain hunter. I call him my personal dresser. We wear the same sizes. Lloyd chooses suits, coats, and jackets with me in mind. He has gifted me with suits worth thousands of dollars that he paid ten or fifteen dollars for. Many had never been worn.

Lloyd would say to me, “People who tell the truth don’t need good memories”. I’d reply, “We may be bastards, but at least we’re honest”. Over fifty years of friendship have witnessed many challenging lessons in humility for us. We delayed balancing our outer and inner worlds by always choosing to learn the hard way. There were no shortcuts. We had to finally let go of our need to be more and greater than we were.

Lloyd’s very flexible thumbs symbolize his ability to adapt to the most horrible of circumstances. They also embody his generosity of heart and spirit. It’s very hard for Lloyd to say “NO”. He probably doesn’t realize it, but the gold ring on the bottom middle finger of Lloyd’s unconscious hand symbolizes his need to have clear boundaries, be frugal, and not give everything away.

Lloyd Wilson is Pittsburgh’s best kept secret because he loves his anonymity. His artwork reveals a magical spirit, but few will ever get to know it. Lloyd personifies Cancer’s best qualities. He’s supportive, sympathetic, receptive, reflective, intuitive, imaginative, and extremely devoted to friends and family. He’s my best (male) friend.

Pluto (god of sex, death, and transformation) transited Cancer from 1913 to 1938. Partisan politics, nationalism, and isolationism transformed the world. World War I became World War II. In 1913, President Wilson pressed a button in the White House and blew up the Gamboa Dike in the Isthmus of Panama, creating a canal between oceans, and transforming travel by sea. Wilson legislated the Carter-Owen Bill that established a Federal Reserve System to transform the strangle hold on the nation’s currency and credit system by banks.

Daylight Saving Time transformed the nation’s clocks. Transcontinental telephone service transformed communications. World infrastructures and atomic energy transformed humanity. NBC was the first Nationwide Broadcasting Company. Wall Street prospered from war while soldiers earning $16 per month died in the trenches. President Wilson established a lottery style draft promoting patriotism. Congress passed the Espionage Act fining draft dodgers $10,000 and imposing a twenty-year jail sentence. No child was left behind.

“Do your bit” was an encouragement to buy Liberty Bonds. There were wheatless-meatless days. The end of 1919 marked the end of the Influenza pandemic that caused half a million deaths and a quarter of the nation’s population to be sick. Prohibition banned liquor for all citizens. Black markets and bootlegging industries flourished. Black leader Marcus Garvey organized ‘The Empire of Africa’ with 500,000 followers. He led the largest mass exodus of Blacks with the least sense of brotherhood in U.S. history.

In 1929, doubt, fear, and panic upset a stock market that faced its darkest hour and most difficult time. Foundations and structures of home and family transformed. People born during this period spend much of their lives taking care of family. Parents with overdeveloped senses of responsibility, guilt, and obligation have motivated children of this generation to be dropouts and runaways.

As the planet Uranus transited the sign of Cancer from 1949 to 1955, Mothers stopped staying at home and went to work. Women began wearing the “bikini”, a fashionable French bathing suit. ‘I Love Lucy’, a comic show about a housewife and her Cuban bandleader husband became the most popular show on TV. Ranch houses and basement playrooms were popular. The subconscious mind was explored in psychology. Born between 1949 and 1955? You’re somewhere between oversensitive and fearful and rational and aware.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?

We may want to think twice before we elect (or appoint) another Cancer President. Four USA Presidents were born under the sign of Cancer. Our most recent, George W Bush has intuitive hands and an egocentric character to match his Leo rising. George revealed the worst qualities of Cancer and Leo in his behavior, presidential intentions, and actions.

Like George Bush and Al Gore, John Quincy Adams finished second in popular vote behind General Andrew Jackson. There was no majority. A choice was put before the House of Representatives. The Speaker, Henry Clay, swung the election to Adams. When Adams appointed Clay as Secretary of State, Jackson followers cried, “Corrupt bargain”.

“Of all the men whom it was ever my lot to accost and to waste civilities upon, he was the most doggedly and systematically repulsive. With a vinegar aspect, cotton in his leathern ears, and hatred in his heart, he sat like a bulldog among spaniels”.
W.H. Littleton.

The 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, shared a birthday with the Declaration of Independence. He was famous for “holding his tongue”. That earned him the title, “Silent Cal”. Two of his infamous sayings were: “If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it” and “The business of America is business”.

“He was an economic fatalist with a God given inertia. He knew nothing and refused to learn”. William Allen White “He was weaned on a pickle” Alice Roosevelt Longworth

The 38th President, Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., didn’t know he was adopted until he was seventeen. His wife, Betty performed all the domestic chores as Gerry wouldn’t lift a finger around the house. As Speaker of the other house, Ford passionately pleaded for an escalation of the war in Vietnam. He urged to “unleash devastating air and sea power”. His failed crusade to impeach liberal Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas was a favor to his buddy Richard Nixon. Ford granted Nixon a “full complete and absolute pardon” for all crimes relating to Watergate. Ford blamed democrats for a disastrous rate of inflation and warned that electing more would “jeopardize world peace”. He admitted to never reading books, but did find time to watch football on TV.

“I cannot dislike him personally — he’s cordial and gracious, but he’s consistently wrong and consistency is a virtue of small minds. He’s never proposed a constructive solution to anything”. Congressman Robert Drinan

Lyndon Johnson said Ford “had played too much football with his helmet off” ~ “Jerry’s the only man I ever knew who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time”.

“Ford isn’t a bad man, but he’s dumb—dumb. He shouldn’t be dumb either. He went to school just like everybody else”. Reverend Duncan Littlefair

“The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life… it should be something useful, something good”

The Dalai Lama (Cancer) is “The Reborn Soul of Buddha”. Orpheus, a singer, priest, healer, poet, and musician in Greek myth, charmed and enchanted Death into letting him enter the matrix of collective unconscious to find his beloved Eurydice. A moment of weakness caused Orpheus to look backward after death warned him that he’d lose Eurydice if he did. The wounded healer cannot heal himself but can heal others. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 to live as a “simple monk” in a remote corner of Northern India. Unable to go back, he chose to promote world peace and love over returning to Tibet. Is our debt to China a threat to Tibet?

On my 65th birthday, I asked my friend to shoot a series of senior photos of me in my birthday suit. At the time, I felt like 40 and on top of the world. Today, I’m 70 going on 35. I become younger and happier on the inside each day. I attribute much of that to my Gemini mom. Despite living in an insane world where humanity is marching forward toward more and worse bad shit happening by the moment, I feel more joyful and healthier than ever.

Geminis remain forever young. Hermes lived over three hundred years in the flesh. My mom stopped aging at 39. Many people never questioned that until she was in her late fifties. In her last few days of her life, mom’s intensive care doctor told us that in all his years, he had never had a patient who was so sick and so determined not to look like it. While wheeling mom around the hospital, people thought I was her husband. She’d say “Thanks for the compliment, but he’s my father”. “Pleased to meet you”, they’d say to me. At sixty, I was still a potential embarrassment to my mom. Some things never change.

Mom was a consummate Gemini and a poster child for the geriatric crowd at seventy-seven. She maximized her best and minimized her worst qualities. Mom used to say she had “healthy neuroses”. Being her healthiest and happiest self was the only thing that made sense to her. Mom once said to me, “Most parents make most of their mistakes on their first kid”. That was true in my case. My brother who was four years younger and sister who was seven years younger were spared mom’s inexperience.

Mom considered raising her children her greatest accomplishment in life. I certainly did my best as a young child to make her proud of me. When I turned twenty, I confronted mom to tell her that I wasn’t perfect and that she had made plenty of mistakes. She replied, “Well son, I’m sorry for anything I did which caused you any harm. My mistakes were not intentional. I tried my best to be a good parent. You’ll understand when you’re a parent. You’re an adult now. You must grow up and get past whatever holds you back. You need to be as healthy as you can be.” What could I say? She was right. In the final analysis, my siblings and I all turned out well in ways that matter most. Mom’s optimism, relentless frankness, and loving encouragement compelled all of us to be true to ourselves.

Geminis have a unique sense of humor. While mom was lying in her hospital bed with tubes going in and out of her, she said to me, “What worries me is how nice everyone is to me. Do they know something I don’t?” My sister Jennifer warned, “You’re not allowed to die until you finish raising my (teenage) kids”. She joked about buying mom’s casket at Costco and mom loved the idea. My brother Gary said, “I’ll start worrying when you stop putting on your makeup”. He threatened to taxidermy and install her in a corner of his living room. If you want to get a real taste for mom’s humor, you’ve got to check out this exercise ball video that she made as a response to my extremely health conscious sister sending her the ball. For whatever it lacks in quality, it makes up for in laughter.

One of Gemini’s notable qualities is true friendship. Mom attributed her ability to make friends quickly to moving frequently in her childhood. With so many changes involving multiple schools, mom learned to adapt and develop social skills to make new friends. If you examine her balls of thumb, you’ll see many long lines parallel to her lifeline. Mom maintained lifelong bonds from her early childhood. She and her friends loved each other through Heart Attacks, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Cancer, and other diseases of old age. Mom’s friends were her riches. I too, cherish my friendships.

The luckiest thing mom ever did was to marry my dad. They met at a bus stop. It was love at first sight. She was a twenty-one year old virgin princess. He was a twenty-five year old former bad boy in the process of turning good. She played Eurydice to his Orpheus and Persephone to his Pluto. I was conceived on their wedding night and born nine months to the day later. Mom wanted to have a natural childbirth, however after thirty-six hours in labor, I was cut out. She came within inches of dying and spent weeks convalescing. When I first discovered astrology, I sought an eminent astrologer for my first reading. “This is a death chart” she told me. A person’s horoscope is also their mother’s transits at birth.

Geminis are thinkers and communicators. Mom was one of the most well-read people I ever knew. She was interested in psychology. When I was about ten years old, mom read Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. It reinforced what she already knew and confirmed her most significant value in her life, which was the knowledge and understanding that while you can’t always control what happens to you, you have the power to choose what you think, feel, and do about what happens to you. When I went to Carnegie Mellon University to study industrial design, mom went back to college to get her master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh and become a psychiatric social worker at the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. She was an innovator who was famous for her case notes and ultimately became a matriarch in the hospital system.

Although mom stayed at home during my childhood, she also stayed busy. Mom supplemented dad’s income by writing from home. One year, she won twenty-five contests by saying something in twenty-five words or less, finishing a sentence, writing jingles, or winning crossword puzzles. She sometimes published articles in consumer magazines like Redbook and Ladies Home Journal. I never shared this, but mom was a ghost writer for syndicated cartoons. The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and Family Circus were clients who frequently purchased her gags. She worked with a local artist. Of course, our family was the source of her materials. That’s mom and me below.

When mom turned 80, she wrote, “Eighty years of age does not seem old to me. Old is when one is again dependent as we were in infancy – needing help as a constant to feed and care for oneself. I may die from an illness before I ever get old, then on to the next adventure.” I wholeheartedly concur. Mom was eighty-three when she passed away. She continued to ponder the meaning of life until her final moments while battling metastasized breast cancer. I promised her I’d ‘pull the plug’ if it became necessary. Fortunately, she let go on her own.

Depending on my circumstances, I may employ my “Doctor Death Do It Yourself Kit”. Rather than anyone habitually wiping my dribbling face and disgusting butt, I’ll spare my family and friends the hassle and mess and instead leave them with positive memories! In my Gemini mind, it’s not tragic to expedite letting go when it’s your time.

Millions of new Geminis are born each year from May 20 to June 21. New Gemini generations are also born each century with karmic missions based on their age regardless of their sun signs.

The only outer planet to transit the sign of Gemini in the 20th Century was Uranus. When Uranus transited the sign of Gemini from 1942 to 1949 the emphasis in this country shifted to education. The U.S. Supreme Court abolished religion in public schools. The GI Bill enabled thousands of people to go to college. Occupations in communications fields like radio and television became more prevalent. In 1946, the first computer calculation began at the University of Pennsylvania. It was called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Columbia Records introduced the 33 1/3 rpm “long playing record”. The Atomic Energy Commission was created. The United Nations held its first session in London. The United States joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). People born between 1942 and 1949 are the Uranus in Gemini generation. They have restless temperaments and minds that grasp new ideas quickly.

In the 20th Century, people born between December 24 1945 ~ August 11 1947 (70-72), August 6 1964 ~ February 21 1966 (50–52) and March 15 1983 ~ Nov 1 1984 (32–33) share the same karmic invitation and responsibility to join society to share higher consciousness and lend humanity a helping hand. North nodes in Gemini generations are created to teach us all to exercise higher mind. Let’s observe the oldest living group (my generation) through the lens of politics. George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump all share a Gemini lunar north node and Uranus in Gemini. Bill Clinton and George Bush wrecked their opportunities to positively raise public consciousness. Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Donald Trump has already done more than his share of damage. How many gilded towers, glitzy gambling casinos, graven images, brass pedestals, beauty queens, shark tanks, and celebrity idols do we need? Bill (Leo), George (Leo rising), and Donald (Leo rising) all have damaged egos and corresponding hubris. The dark side of the force is alive and well in each of them. Perhaps Donald Trump has already accomplished his karmic mission by teaching us how not to be and what not to do. Since hindsight is 20/20, you’d think we’d learn from our mistakes. We’ll find out when Uranus transits through Gemini again beginning at the end of 2025.

Celebrities born 1946 with North Node and Uranus in Gemini

ENIAC has come a long way since 1946. The Internet is the electronic version of Hermes principle of mentalism. As the most efficient and effective communication tool of all time, it instantly enables anyone to communicate with anyone and everyone at any place and at any time. The Internet represents an opportunity to create value out of thin air. Healthy content is essential to healthy communication.

Consider this paradox. E-business produces E-contamination. E-Pollution is a result of creating, collecting, and cultivating, but not properly disposing of E-garbage. We can close landfills, but what do we do with cyber-fills and digital-spills? How do we recycle, reuse, and recreate cyber-toxins and hazardous dot-coms? How can we best employ Hermes ‘Law of Polarity’ to help transform these ten negative qualities of Gemini?

Superficiality: Creating and implementing products without a healthy vision, foresight, well thought out marketing plans, or adequate financial framework

You don’t need a Gemini sun, moon, ascendant, planets, or house placements to be a Gemini. No matter what your astrology says, pure type Gemini hands have widely spread long fingers, flexible tips, and supple thumbs. All thinking types have square palms with long fingers. As a mutable modality, Gemini is more mentally adaptable than (fixed) Aquarians and (cardinal) Librans. Geminis and Librans are dual air signs that frequently have split head lines resulting from always having to make decisions and having too many choices. Cancer and Pisces are dual water signs whose conflicted feelings are often embodied in split heart lines. Anyone can have any split line for many reasons.

I despise generalizing, but I can safely say that it’s impossible to accurately foretell from a natal astrology chart how a person will embrace their symbolism and manifest their free will. Astrology reveals a person’s potentials. A sun, moon, stellium of planets, dominant signs, house placements, or powerful aspects between certain planets or points in a horoscope may or may not reflect what a person chooses to integrate into their character and behavior. Hands are topographical maps that actually disclose a person’s character in past, present, and future. As we embrace our strengths and weaknesses and exercise our thinking and free will, our evolving characters, stories, and changing circumstances are reflected in the morphology and topography of our hands over time.

Healthy Geminis have long straight strong pinkie fingers that symbolize logical thinking, honest communication, and good sense. Gemini hands feature firm pink elastic skin and long straight widely spread fingers with dominant first phalanges and loop prints. Long ring fingers with whorl prints add talent, attractiveness, irresistibility, salesmanship, and luck. Strong middle fingers with square tips and developed first knots add technical and scientific attributes. Powerful index fingers dramatically increase writing, oratory, and other professional skills. Geminis make great lawyers, bankers, doctors, orators, writers, engineers, teachers, salesmen, accountants, and shopkeepers. I work at special events with miraculous magicians who have dominant pinkie fingers. They surprise and astound audiences by deceiving the eye and mind of the beholder. Prominent pinkie people prefer small musical instruments that require a lot of dexterity. Music makes sense because hearing is Gemini’s physical sense.

The pinkie is the shortest finger. If the tip is longer than the crease between the first and second phalange of the ring finger, it’s long. If shorter, it’s short. Hermes (Mercury) was the shortest god. A dominant pinkie fingered person is often short in stature (Ed Harris) with a slender body and face. Pure types have animated hands, dark hair, and penetrating eyes with crow’s feet in the corners. Gemini is the most youthful of all types. They’re eternally childlike and love children. Men often have thin beards like Johnny Depp (Gemini). Michael Jackson, a Virgo (ruled by Mercury), and a genuine Peter Pan, actually lived in ‘Neverland’. In real life, Peter marries Wendy or a parent. Someone’s got to be practical.

Our pinkie finger shows our ability to communicate. It also indicates truthfulness. Our early family dynamic may be observed in the way the pinkie is set on the hands. If it is very short or low set, trust is a major issue. Some women who have very low set pinkies have told me that they have trouble having orgasms. Their real challenge is in trusting someone enough to have real intimacy. The length and proportions of our pinkie finger symbolizes technical, language, family, and sexual potentials.

Gemini rules hands and governs our nervous and respiratory systems. Gemini health issues revolve around the nervous and bronchial systems. Geminis also have problems with headaches, thyroid glands, memory loss, and speech impediments. I’m very Gemini and have been coping with Tinnitus (ringing in my ears) for several years.

Gold and diamond rings are often found on the pinkie finger of acquisitive people. Pinkie rings can symbolize the sublimation of sexual energies in order to accomplish something requiring a lot of libido. I once examined a group of fifty young men and women who were born into very wealthy families in the 80’s. Considering the prosperity of the period, it seemed paradoxical that every one of them had an obviously short phalange on the bottom segment of the little finger of his or her dominant hand. Money will never be the motivation for their career choices. Family and personal values will drive these individuals.

Would you buy a used car from this guy? Gemini’s liabilities are deceitfulness, trickiness, fickleness, nervousness, restlessness, and shallowness. People preaching on soapboxes, pickpockets, and most con artists have dominant pinkies (most inwardly curving). When there’s a telltale yellow coloration in the palms, there’s nastiness somewhere. The trickster is a master at hiding his dark side. There are many wonderful people with curved pinkies who learned as children to ‘act nice’ and are still doing their best to avoid confrontation.

Cultivated Geminis are consummate communicators, social and intuitive geniuses, and great judges of character. Most social of all types, they’re frequently accused of being impractical dreamers because they love ideas so much. They can detach themselves from mundane realities and be objective about anything. They overvalue their intellect and undervalue emotion (everyone’s). They’re threatened when their opinions are ignored. They accept your viewpoint, even when they disagree with you. They get mad when their ideas are challenged without good reason. They’re easily distracted and don’t like being responsible for their decisions. They resist focus, discipline, and structure. They long for freedom and love to be unrestricted.

Geminis are androgynous. In Greek mythology, Hermes and Aphrodite had a fling that resulted in Hermaphrodite. Dominant Hermes (whether he or she knows or admits it) is often bi-sexual. David Bowie was a Capricorn with powerful Hermes. Mick Jagger is a very Mercurial Leo. Kate Blanchett is a Mercurial Taurus. Boy George is a Gemini. At 69, Grace Jones is still an exotic Taurus with her Mercury conjunct Uranus in Gemini.

As topographical maps of human character in past, present, and future, hands embody the same four basic elements (Fire ~ Earth ~ Air ~ Water) and twelve archetypal energies as astrology. Size, shape, proportions, textures, colors, elasticity, and consistency of hands describe how we function in the world. Degrees between hand and finger stiffness and flexibility embody the three modalities (cardinal, fixed, and mutable) that combine with the four basic elements to describe the motivations of the twelve types of astrology. Skin ridge patterns and lines contain myriad details that enable a person to unveil their story. Every detail has meaning, but that same detail may mean something different depending on the hands and the nature of the person.

The human race is one enormous dysfunctional family. Like astrology, combinations of details in hands represent millions of permutations, possibilities, and probabilities. Astrologers require an exact date, time, and place of birth, a quality portable computer, and great astrological software. Unlike astrology, a palmist only needs a set of hands, good eyesight, and a basic understanding of how to look and see and listen and hear.

Once you learn to judge hand shapes and proportions, reading hands is simple and fun. Other requirements are a basic understanding of counseling and lots of practice. Here are a few tips and tools of the palmistry trade to help you sharpen your eyesight, hone your thinking, and tune your feelings.

The most important tool in my kit is a magnifying glass. There’s never enough light ~ especially at special events. Most of my income is from giving five-minute quickie readings at exclusive events. My hand held lighted magnifiers always needed to be plugged in. Most venues have few unused outlets. Wires are unsightly and people can trip on them. I used to arrive early and bring my own extension cords, plug adapters, and duct tape (in various colors) to securely fasten cords to carpeting. I’ve had to pass on many wonderful opportunities because of no electricity. LED lights freed me from bondage by solving my logistical problems. September to January and March to June, I hone my counseling skills at parties with only seconds to observe a person’s hands before speaking. This is the magnifier I use. It uses two AA batteries and has three light settings. I normally get four hours of bright light from two batteries. I purchased it from Brookstones for $40.

Judging hands is the key to palmistry. When I first began learning to read hands, my most important tool was a stainless steel 6” sliding pocket rule that can be purchased in most hardware stores for a few dollars. It’s hard to critically see subtle differences in proportions and skin qualities. You have to make a lot of comparisons to be able to recognize the differences. Measuring devices make details more scientific and accurate. A small difference in the length of a finger phalanx can mean a huge difference in the potential meaning and destiny of that finger, hand, and person.

In my experience, hands are hard to draw. Check out the literature of palmistry to see some awful illustrations. I made this 8 ½ X 11 template of a generic hand so I could make copies and experiment with drawing and writing on them. If you are unable to take an ink print or digital photo of a hand, it’s a good idea to ask the person to place their hands naturally on a blank piece of paper. Outline the hands with pencil or marker. No matter what template you use, you can write and draw whatever you want on it and modify it in any way you please. I used the template above for taking notes and playing with ideas. The two images below were derived from that template.

A hand is a small space to see a whole life. One tool my teacher’s teacher gave her and she passed on to me is the chart below. There’s a lot to observe, synthesize, and remember about hands. It’s good to record your observations and later be able to compare hands using visual aids. Numbering proportions makes it easy to compare hands and fingers. I shared a form to show you how another palmist looked scientifically at my hands. Feel free to print out the blank forms and experiment with them.

I spoke with students at Bennington College about the esoteric science and art of palmistry one cold dreary evening a couple of weeks ago. Though the event was publicized, I had my smallest turnout of all time – only six people. You’d think a Gemini would learn not to schedule events on Mercury retrogrades. The six students who did show up were curious, diverse, and very smart. Fortunately for all of us, all four basic psychological types (intuitive, practical, thinking, and feeling) were represented. After briefly introducing the basic science of palmistry, I led a ‘hands on’ demonstration.

Everyone volunteered. I asked each person to come up with a question like ‘what can I do to…?’ or ‘how can I…?’ (NO yes or no answers). I digitally projected large high resolution images of their hands on a huge screen. Together, we examined the morphology and topography of each hand within the context of the questions asked and through the lens of the science of palmistry. I shared how I was looking, what I was seeing, thinking, and feeling, and how I was choosing what to say next. Insights were shared as we compared and contrasted current facts with past, present, and future possibilities. I demonstrated how no detail should be viewed in isolation and how combinations of details comprise myriad permutations, possibilities, and probabilities.

I asked for questions. Everyone wanted to know if, when, and how I read my own hands. They were curious whether other palmists and I read each other’s hands. I usually trade with bodyworkers and other practitioners in the healing arts. I told a cautionary tale of a bad trade with another reader. We debated how much of fate and destiny is genetic and how much is nurture and free will. In my experience, healthy genetics is important, but nurture and free will are powerful forces that can alter a destiny.

Most palmists are esoteric social workers. Palmistry is using knowledge of hands to help others. It’s easy to see other people’s problems. It’s not so easy to know what to say. In my practice, I blend psychology, astrology, numerology, tarot, and palmistry. Palmists sometimes point out markings in their hands and ask me what I think. I reply, “What does it mean to you? Let’s see how that fits first”. It’s not so easy to be objective about oneself. I choose the best possible outcome I can see in my personal mythology and project that on myself. I try to remain vigilant of often unforeseeable and unavoidable downsides. Few readers I’ve met are truly critical thinkers, though many think they are.

Sun sign astrology is superficial and yet tens of millions of people read their horoscopes daily in magazines and newspapers. Astrology has earned global respect because it has created ethical standards, educational opportunities, and certification programs. Astrology is shared at conferences, colleges, museums, bookstores, community centers, and online forums.

One huge obstacle for palmistry is that it lacks credibility. Palmistry is still relegated to the dark and nebulous world of red neon handed storefronts behind which gypsy scam artists beckon to remove your curses and money. There are very few good palmistry schools. The literature of palmistry is uninspiring at best. I’m one of very few spokespersons.

Palmistry students have often come to me to hear what I have to say about their hands. I require them to participate in their readings by answering whatever questions I have about what I see. I begin worrying when they want to impress me with their knowledge of palmistry and ask to see my hands. Not a single student has ever ‘gotten me’. Anyone can read a book, call him or herself palmist, and hang out a shingle. Lousy ingredients and flawed recipes will never create a nutritious meal. Some students tried to ‘type me’ by comparing me to some celebrity or other who I had no obvious connection to. When I disagreed, they attempted to persuade me that they were right. Others focused on interpreting a particular line or marking taken out of context of my basic character.

Many clients are impressionable, gullible, and oversensitive. They believe that if a reader has credibility, he must know what he’s talking about. When clients don’t disagree with something a reader has said that is not right, readers think they must be right. I frequently warn students to be cautious what they say to clients and not to say anything if they have nothing positive to say. I encourage them to look at a lot of hands, ask a lot of questions, and leave hopeful people in their wake.

In an earlier lifetime when I was an industrial designer, a palmist looked at my hands and blew my mind. She was reading my mind while seeing my truths in my hands. She described my character perfectly, kindled a burning curiosity in me, and catalyzed my passion to learn more. She became my teacher. I became her apprentice and best student. I was also studying astrology, numerology, tarot, and psychology at the time.

Over many years, I’ve observed two basic types of readers: head ruled and heart ruled. Extremists and fundamentalists populate the outer limits. The rest of us are, by degree, somewhere between extremes. Extreme head ruled types tend to be analytical, anal, and anti-social. Rationalization replaces reason. Compartmentalization contains compassion. Examination eradicates empathy. Head ruled people make up their minds quickly, fight ideological change, take pride in knowing a lot, and believe they have the answers to everything. They dispense advice authoritatively and act offended when their ideas are challenged. They rarely touch the people they read, within or without, but they do believe they know what’s best for them.

Alternative facts catalyze alternative fates. Pollyanna is alive and well in the esoteric healing arts. Pure heart types are empathic, oversensitive, and sentimental. Heart rules head. Feeling rules thinking. Love and trust are the only foundation for good health, financial security, emotional stability, and all other positive structures. Being helpful is prerequisite to achieving one’s own destiny. Giving is a path to grace, dignity, and wisdom, where healthy choices are made and manifested. Not feeling appreciated and being taken for granted is unhealthy and must always be addressed.

I began seeing the best palmists in NYC in the late 1970’s. My first palmist was still practicing in her mid-eighties. A student of William Benham (father of modern palmistry), she typed me “Saturn #1”. More head than heart, she carefully printed, measured, and charted every detail in my hands before saying a word. She was a bit premature in her assessment of my character. I wasn’t hard enough on myself yet. My strong middle fingers along with Saturn conjunct Pluto closely straddling my Leo Midheaven in my natal chart has impelled me to become more Saturnine over time. Once I realized I was actually a late bloomer, I began to see Saturn as the shortest and most challenging path to satisfaction and fulfillment. Structure, discipline, and focus were my prescriptions and eventual remedies. My job was to buckle down and do the work.

Experts don’t necessarily agree on what archetype is dominant, but can still give great readings. Everyone is a blend of twelve archetypes. Different types can be dominant at different developmental stages in life. My next two hand readings were very different from my first and from each other.

In my next reading I was “Venus #1”. My large pink balls of thumb, flexible spatulate tips, whorl finger prints, and discomfort at saying “No” revealed Venus as a strong influence, but not dominant. This head ruled palmist went straight for my empathy and sentiment. Realizing the strength of my Venus made me aware of how far I had to go to find balance between my desire for love, freedom, creativity, and my overdeveloped sense of responsibility, obligation, and guilt. I tried to balance shame and guilt with empathy and compassion by blending Saturn with Venus. Fortunately they’re sextile in my chart.

On my third reading I was dubbed “Mercury #1”. This palmist, astrologer, and tarot reader was closest to getting me. My long straight pinky fingers, stellium of Gemini planets including Sun Uranus and Venus North Node conjunctions in the 8th house, and my incorrigible need to be frank makes Hermes a dominant player in my story. “The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of understanding.” I wasn’t ready for him then, but I am now. Hermes lived for three hundred years in the flesh. That makes me an adolescent at seventy and explains why I feel like a teenager.

I believed that all three readers were wrong because in my mind, I was “Apollo #1”. My long ring fingers, whorled spatulate tips, clear deep sun lines, curly brown hair, medium height, and my lean muscular build are Apollonian. I saw myself as combining my Mercury, Venus, and Saturn with Apollo as an artist, musician, and inventor.

Unexpectedly, I learned how many readers have many different ways of reading people. An astrology addict showed up one day for a hand reading. Over the years, she’d been to all of the reputable readers she could find. It was my turn. I had never really considered what other readers said before or how they counseled their clients. I couldn’t imagine my client didn’t know what I was going to talk about. She asked if she could record our session. I agreed, but urged her to listen and take notes.

I’m rational, practical, compassionate, empathic, and a good listener. I asked her why she was spending her hard earned money to hear what she already knew. What did she hope to learn? She told me that she was curious. I stretched myself inside out to think of things others may not have said, but realized that what I really needed to do was let go and be fully present with her. When we finished, I asked her if she had taped all or her other sessions and if I could borrow her collection and listen. I was surprised when she said yes. I pondered if I was unethical to spy on my peers (what if they found out), but borrowed her tapes anyway, to satisfy my nagging curiosity about what other readers had to say to her. I became ethically, morally, and instantly bound to secrecy at that moment.

I became confused and concerned as I listened to the tapes. There’s no shortage of reputable readers. What surprised me was how formulaic so many were. Their counsel was impersonal. I heard explanations of sun signs and planets, spoken in esoteric jargon, mostly unfamiliar to the client. Most clients don’t need to hear about their Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto. I listened to elaborate descriptions of moon signs, ascendants, aspects, and houses. Meanwhile, many readers were clueless to the gestalt of the client in the moment. There was a very specific reason the client was there, but few people (including the client) realized what that reason was. Everyone was too busy trying to figure her out by picking at symbols like leaves, and not seeing the forest from the trees. You can have a thorough knowledge of esoteric sciences and be oblivious to the arts and crafts of counseling. The essence of the reading should have been about abusive childhood family relationships that were still binding the client to her chronic fear of trust and intimacy and influencing her choices.

Peers who I’d respected for many years had made this client cry uselessly as they unleashed childhood pain and then failed to link it to current pain. Listening to other readers has reinforced my belief that people should learn to read themselves. Knowing hands has enabled me to clearly see and know myself and others better. My challenge has been to choose what to do with what I know. My mission has been to give everyone a helping hand, their own. So far, I’ve been mostly unsuccessful at reaching the masses. Any thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on ways to raise mass consciousness and popularize palmistry will be greatly appreciated and valued.

You don’t need a Taurus sun sign, planets, or planetary placements to be Taurean. Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo are practical types with square palms and short fingers. Pure Taurus hands have pink, firm, elastic skin, solid bulging percussion under pinkie finger, stiff jointed thumbs and fingers, and full rosy balls of thumb bounded by long clear deep life lines. Several long lines run parallel within the life line. Deep main lines and skin ridge patterns are boldly etched. Very few peripheral lines are found in Taurus hands. Long graceful heart lines end under the index finger. Horizontal head lines closely intertwine with life lines at their beginnings and gently slope downward toward the heel of the hand. Dominant loop and arch fingerprints, square tips, developed lower knots and strong middle and bottom phalanges confirm the type. You’d never guess the hand above belongs to a Pisces sun sign.

Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo are feminine in gender. Driven by physical senses, Taurus are the most responsible, practical, pragmatic, objective, dependable, and reliable of all types. Taurus innately knows how the material world works. They understand what they see and feel, but resist trusting their ideas, intuitions, and inspirations. They get bogged down in mundane matters that limit their abstract abilities and imagination. As creatures of habit, they can easily become addicted to routine and order. They’re great at maintaining the status quo, but procrastinate at starts and finishes. Taurus must pay attention to their daily habits and patterns or become prisoners of their habitual choices. Fixed types (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) must all learn to clearly see the handwriting on the wall.

Venus, Queen of Pentacles, covets wealth and power as she transforms her visions of comfort and beauty into reality. Her compelling needs for physical and emotional security drive her practical attitudes. Honest, dependable, and trustworthy, she’s valued for her natural warmth and good sense. She won’t bend the truth or perform a song and dance act for anyone. She’s loyal, affectionate, and charming, but can also be controlling, jealous, and possessive. She’s not the best salesperson because she takes rejection personally. Don’t ever take her for granted. She must learn to trust her gut, give up control, and let go of people, circumstances, and ideas that no longer make sense to hang on to. Venus can be extreme. Mother of Harmony, Fear, and Terror, Venus must remain vigilant not to overindulge in negative emotions and physical desires. She symbolizes the pleasure loving acquisitive nature of the bull who strives for constant satisfaction. She loves family, home, food, nature, art, and music and thrives in real estate, banking, insurance, food, and fashion.

Large ball of thumb folk are givers. Saying “No” is a huge challenge for them (especially those with flexible thumbs). Pink color is normal. Red adds passion and lust. One symptom of intimacy issues can be seen when no lines are parallel to the lifeline within the ball of the thumb. Even a partial line may indicate a significant intimacy for a certain length of time. It also reveals the ability to be intimate and vulnerable. Love and trust must be earned in order to fertilize our garden and harvest a bountiful crop. Time is our friend. People ask, “When will I die?” “How long is my lifeline?” We all definitely die. Only God knows when. Life is about quality, not quantity.

My Taurus moon and mars symbolize my need for emotional and physical stability, along with my insatiable desire for quantity of quality. I never seem to get enough good food, nature, art, music, and loving. April 19 to May 20 is the best time to look through both telescope and microscope at what you truly love and value. We must all pay to play, but good health and happiness are free.

“The great mass of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than a small one” Adolf Hitler

Adolph Hitler (4/20/1889) was responsible for over thirty million deaths. Hitler transformed the world by harnessing the power of fear and terror and linking them to the power of symbolism to control and manipulate masses. The darkest depths of Taurus catalyzed a German dictator from 1933 to 1945. Taurus can be a cruel zealous fundamentalist in desperate need of spiritual intervention. Jim Jones (5/13/31), fanatic cult leader, led 1,000 people to mass suicide in 1978. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh (4/23/68) showed no remorse for evil. Saddam Hussein (4/28/37), a dictator, was humiliated and publicly slain by US.

Pope Francis was created for love and spirituality. Francis is a Sagittarian with a strong Taurus backup. Healthy values make the best religious sense. Notice the barely bottom phalange on his pinky finger. Francis could care less about stuff. He truly loves us and practices what he preaches.

Pope John Paul ll (5/8/20) radiated the heavenly light of Taurus when he asked the rich to share their wealth with the poor. As the first Pope to visit a synagogue, John Paul ll encouraged Catholics and Jews to love one another. He survived countless chaotic messes and reforms in the church along with an attempted assassination. In this picture, his hand looks Arian, adding abundant courage and initiative to his solid values.

William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles (bulls) battled stubbornly over the making and release of ‘Citizen Kane’. Kane was a Midas who Welles irreverently modeled after Hearst. Despite his natural charisma, brilliant acting, and serious directing abilities, Welles was no match for Hearst’s fortune or power to influence masses. Hearst was stubborn, acquisitive, possessive, and controlling. Welles was determined and persistent in his righteous defiance of Hearst. Hearst tortured Welles with too many legal obstacles and bludgeoned him with bad publicity until Welles could not afford to practice his principles (values) or rise to his challenges (procrastination) or control his self-indulgences (peril).

As a palmist at corporate events for over thirty years, I always arrive early to set up and settle in. Meeting planners show up to introduce the top brass to me before the event starts. Everyone wants to hear what I have to say about them. I’ve read many hundreds of CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and COOs. I examine their hands as I hold them in mine, look into their eyes, and reflect on their personal issues.

Everything and nothing are equal; identical in nature, but different by degree. ‘Less is more’. King Midas wished for a touch of gold, got it, and transformed his beloved daughter into a hunk of metal. Food turned to gold as it touched his lips. Taurus is about values. She shows us how to be flexible and let go of wants by raising our awareness of what truly matters. She encourages us to be stable and secure so we can clearly see and know what we need. There are innumerable shades of gray between black and white. A dying billionaire will gladly trade wealth for youth or good health. A glamorous movie star will gratefully scrub toilets in Grand Central Station to cure her ailing child.

“Have you seen hands that freaked you out?” On a sweltering hot August day, an icy chill gripped my soul as I touched Manuel’s hands. His huge hot sweaty red balls of thumb had no lines within the life line, looking as if an extra-large egg had been stuffed into them. I simulated the enhancement on the left. Manuel’s tremendous desire and passion had no place to go. He had zero ability to be intimate with another human being. Manuel was a convicted child serial killer. Click here to read his story.

When a child becomes thirteen in Jewish tradition, he or she becomes a man or woman after performing a religious rite of passage. Rituals take place in synagogues and require terrified adolescents to read Hebrew from the Torah, sing, and earn their adulthood. I’ve read many thousands of hands at bar and bat mitzvah parties. I’ve worked at many hundreds of modest family gatherings and massive extravaganzas. I’ve performed alongside the world’s best mentalists, magicians, caricaturists, and esoteric readers. Costumed with my black velvet purple satin lined cape, crystal ball, and lighted magnifying glass, I’m a five-minute best friend and bull-shit detector. It’s amazing how much value can be given in five minutes.

It’s not what you see, but what you say and how you say it that matters. One evening, an entourage accompanied their friend to his reading. He was like a mini-CEO with his expensive designer suit and tie. His soft pudgy square palms and plump third phalanges on short fingers let me know that he’d never seen a lick of physical labor. His friends jokingly urged me, “Tell him he’s gay”. One asked, “Do you know who he is?” I saw a kid with lots of challenges ahead. I told his entourage’ to “back off” as I spoke to him about working harder to express his true feelings and behave naturally. His eyes and body language revealed that he could care less about whatever I had to say. When you’re one of the richest kids in the world, unearned power is not a blessing. It may actually be a curse. Later that evening, young Midas returned. He acted as though we’d never met. I gave him the same advice. When I finished, he chuckled and told me, “I fooled you. You already read my hands”.

I held his hands firmly in mine and looked directly into his eyes. “I know who you are, you’re the $$$ boy. I have some valuable free advice for you. Your money doesn’t make you better than anyone else. Your power is unearned. You’ll get old; have relationship problems, work struggles, and health challenges, along with life’s unforeseen plans for you. You must decide what you truly value and how you can make a positive difference with your abundant resources in a world that needs your help.” With eyes dropped and shoulders rounded he left, temporarily recognizing his hubris. I hope he realized his truth.

At another event, a shopping center magnate was competing with his Jewish neighbors, spending a $mall fortune for a sweet thirteen party @ a New Jersey country club. I had just finished reading 48 people in four hours. As I packed my bag to go to an evening party in Manhattan, Midas appeared and demanded, “Read my hands!” Politely, I told him, “I’m sorry, I’m done and in a hurry to get to another party”. “You don’t understand, I’m the one who’s paying you”. I let him know, “The planner already paid me”. He threatened, “I’ll stop payment on his balance!” “OK, hold up your hands”.

“Go ahead, tell me how fucked up I am”. His square palms, short fingers, and long crooked middle fingers with grilled lines beneath revealed a highly self-critical nature. Compulsively chewed nails added an argumentative quality. “I won’t tell you you’re fucked up, but I will tell you what is fucked up. You work unbelievably hard for everything and don’t have a clue how to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’re a frustrated perfectionist, self-critical, and critical and judgmental of others. You need to lighten up and smell the roses!” He stood, “That’s enough. They told me you were good and they were right. Go to your party”.

When Uranus transited Taurus from 1935 to 1942, the USA went off the gold standard. People began focusing on values and questioning materialism. President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Labor organized and formed unions that went on strike and engaged in sit-downs across the nation. President Roosevelt defended the Four Essential Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Partisan politics has steadily undermined those freedoms, including social and national security.

People born between 1935 and 1942 have Uranus in Taurus. Many have experienced sudden and unexpected gains and reversals. Uranus returns to Taurus after 84 years in 2019 for seven years. New York Stock Exchange and Federal Reserve are bulls. Expect extreme financial fluctuations.

Capitalism is ruled by Taurus. Fueled by supply, demand, innovation, and competition, capitalism raises our standard of living by heating, cooling, and lighting us. Capitalism enables us to travel freely, independently, and communicate on a grand scale. We can have many opportunities, products, and services when we can afford them. Capitalism is designed for and by individuals and businesses who agree to exercise financial freedom in whatever ways they see fit within the law. As capitalists, we must take responsibility to help those who can’t compete with or survive greed.

Capitalism is great in theory, but like Religion, the bright side of capitalism uplifts while the dark side breeds prejudice, pain, guilt, shame, and suffering. Capitalism is wealthy, but not wise. It fans the flames of larceny as it segregates haves from have-nots. Power corrupts from the top down as value and integrity are compromised. In practice, we must be responsible and vigilant. Too much temptation for too many greedy and dishonest humans makes too much trouble for too many complacent people.

If Capitalism’s heart is hard, its head is even harder. How easy it is to rationalize the most horrific of actions when they’re not happening to us. We’re closer to Armageddon than Eden. Where does the light of capitalism begin and the darkness end? The trappings of Capitalism are its failings. Why must we learn to value what we have by losing it?

Many people apply formulas for success and yet few are truly successful. Success is a state of mind, heart, and spirit. Our problems are not physical, but philosophical and spiritual. Unhealthy values point us down a path of self-destruction. Our good health and the good health of our world is a reflection of our thoughts and feelings. We must believe in ourselves, have faith, cultivate right attitudes, think critically and positively, set realistic goals, and take appropriate action. We all need good sense and wise counsel. Taurus teaches honesty, responsibility, discipline, structure, focus, courage, determination, and persistence. We must be our own best friends and bull shit detectors.